Fire and Water
by TwilightPony21
Summary: Callen and Kensi start to feel the heat in more ways than one. And they get burned.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! It's been a long time again. I've been working on a few Callen/Kensi ideas, and this story is sort of the result of putting them all together. It's just a short little story – only a few chapters long and not too involved, but if you like Callen/Kensi, I hope you like it. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**-I-**

"And it's another beautiful morning in the City of Angels as we get your day started with some good old classic rock 'n' roll..."

The silver convertible shook from the heavy drumbeat on the radio as it cruised through Los Angeles rush hour traffic. The early morning sun was already high in the sky, and the driver took a moment to adjust his sunglasses before he roared onto the freeway.

Tapping his fingers to the rhythm of the song, he glanced in his rearview mirror and then floored the gas pedal, kicking the car into another gear.

Just off the first exit, he made a sharp turn and skidded into the parking lot of a small breakfast diner. He opened the car door and neatly folded his sunglasses, slipping them into his pocket as he adjusted the lapels on his jacket and pulled his collar up slightly.

The bell on the door jangled as he entered the restaurant.

"Hi, Tom," the pretty young brunette behind the counter greeted him. "The usual?"

"The usual, Casey," he confirmed.

Casey smiled sweetly and disappeared into the kitchen to fill his order.

Tom took a seat close to the register, surveying the room as he waited. There were only a few customers in the restaurant at this hour, most of them leisurely sipping coffee and reading the morning paper.

But in a small booth in the back corner, Tom noticed a man sitting alone, talking on a cell phone in a low voice. He wore a neatly pressed business suit, and there was a briefcase on the table next to him. When he caught Tom watching him, he quickly ended the conversation and snapped his phone shut.

Tom took this as an invitation. He calmly strode over to the booth and sat down. "Beautiful morning, isn't it?"

"Can I help you?" the man snapped.

"No, but I might be able to help you," Tom replied coolly.

The man raised an eyebrow. "You Tom?"

"I am."

"Well, then, please accept my apologies." The man smiled a crooked smile and extended a hand. "Call me Charlie."

"Apology accepted, Charlie. Shall we get down to business?"

"We shall," Charlie agreed. "What are you offering?"

"Two million."

"Too low."

"Too low?" Tom repeated in disbelief. "This is an untested weapon."

Charlie shrugged. "This is business."

"Here you go, Tom," Casey's cheery voice interrupted. She placed a steaming plate of food in front of him. "Extra bacon, just the way you like it." She winked at him.

"You know what, Casey?" Tom said, shooting an obvious glare at Charlie. "I'm done here. I think I'll take this to go." He handed her back the plate and flashed a charming smile. "Do me a favor and wrap this up?"

Casey looked surprised. "Um, sure, okay. Can I get you anything, sir?" she asked Charlie.

"No," Charlie replied gruffly. "And we're not done here yet."

"Oh, I think we are," Tom argued. "Casey, my breakfast, please."

As Casey disappeared back into the kitchen, Charlie slammed his fist down on the table. "Four million, no lower."

Tom shook his head. "Three million if you prove what it can do...take it or leave it."

Charlie grinned. "You're in luck, my friend. There will be a demonstration tonight."

"A demonstration? Where?"

"The USS _Inferno."_

"A Navy ship?" Tom snorted. "Are you serious?"

"It's docked at port right now, and there's a black tie celebration at the harbor tonight." Charlie's eyes gleamed, and he clapped his hands excitedly. "It's a welcome home party! Bring a date. Bring that waitress." He nodded towards the kitchen door. "She seems to be pretty sweet on you."

"Maybe I will."

"Then I'll see you tonight."

"I'll see you tonight," Tom confirmed. But he remained seated, meeting Charlie's cold stare with his own icy blue eyes.

"We're done now," Charlie finally said in an annoyed tone, as if Tom should have known.

"Okay then."

"Okay."

With a polite nod, Tom returned to the counter just as the kitchen door swung open again. A small smirk touched his lips as Casey emerged with his food and bent down to grab some napkins from a lower shelf.

"All set to go," she said, pushing the hot container over the counter and interrupting his admiration of her backside.

Tom gave her a warm smile. "So what time do you get off work tonight, pretty lady?"

"Early because I took the morning shift. Why?"

"Well, my colleague over there is having a little party this evening."

"Tom, are you asking me out?"

"What if I am?"

She blushed. "I wouldn't say no."

"Then I'll see you tonight." Tom pulled several bills out of his wallet and handed them to her. "Keep the change, sweet thing."

And then Tom picked up his food and exited the diner, seemingly unaware of Charlie's eyes following him.

* * *

"Bacon? Third time this week?"

As G Callen entered the OSP hacienda that morning, carrying his plastic take-out breakfast container, he heard the critical voice of Sam Hanna behind him.

"You're pushing it, G. You're just asking for a cholesterol level off the charts."

"And who doesn't love off-the-chart cholesterol levels?" Deeks asked, overhearing the conversation as he entered the room. "Whose cholesterol level are we talking about?"

"Mr. 'Genetically Gifted' over there," Sam grumbled. "Bacon and eggs for breakfast..._again._"

"You know what that means?" Deeks asked.

"I'm interviewing new partners starting tomorrow?"

"It means he's got the hots for the girl behind the counter at the take-out place."

Both Callen and Sam looked at him.

"Okay, maybe that was me at the coffee shop this week."

Sam raised an eyebrow while Callen bit into a piece of bacon and chewed thoughtfully.

Suddenly, there was an angry quacking noise from the balcony above.

"Mating season again, Eric?" Sam muttered.

"The call of the African Red-Throated Loon, my ornithologically-challenged friends," the computer tech explained.

Sighing almost in unison, Sam and Callen rose from their seats and headed for the stairs, but Deeks paused. "Where's Kensi?"

"Here!" came the voice behind him. "I'm here."

"Late again, are we? What happened to my oh-so-punctual-sets-her-clock-fifteen-minutes-ahead-of-everybody-else partner?"

"I was getting breakfast," Kensi said defensively, setting a plastic container down on her desk.

"And how come I wasn't invited to bring-your-breakfast-to-work day?" Deeks asked.

"I didn't have time to eat this morning," she explained, heading for the stairs. "Did I hear Eric whistle?"

"Yeah, with that loony tune—" Deeks stopped short as something suddenly caught his eye. He looked down at Callen and Kensi's desks. Two identical plastic containers. Two identical meals.

Somehow he didn't think that was a coincidence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you, everyone, for your response to chapter one. I wasn't sure if many people were still reading Callen/Kensi out there, but I'm glad that you are! I hope you like chapter two.**

* * *

**-II-**

As Deeks entered Ops, the rest of the team was already gathered around the screen, and a little lady with round glasses glared at him disapprovingly.

"Ah, Mr. Deeks, did we stop for breakfast on the way in?"

"Um, no, I ate my Wheaties before I got to work today," Deeks said, throwing a smug look at Kensi.

"And they say it's the breakfast of champions," she muttered.

"You know it."

"Mr. Beale, please play the tape," Hetty interjected.

"Right." Eric quickly clicked a few keys. "So we've been tracking the movements of a couple of suspicious weapons deals that have been going down lately. And all of them seem to have some sort of connection to this guy."

He enlarged a photo of an angry, gruff-looking man on screen.

"Looks like a friendly guy," Sam commented sarcastically.

"Charlie Danforth," Nell read. "Suspected to be involved in several previous weapons deals but never convicted."

"So what do we got that'll put him away this time?" Deeks asked.

With an exaggerated wave of his hand, Eric pressed play.

"_Beautiful morning, isn't it?"_

"_Can I help you?"_

"_No, but I might be able to help you."_

"Callen's been working undercover as Thomas Schneider," Eric explained as he pulled up the photo of Callen's fake driver's license. "Big business guy, throws around a lot of money, eats at the breakfast diner downtown every day, flirts with the waitresses…"

Right on cue, Nell aligned the photo of Kensi's fake driver's license alongside Callen's on screen.

"Casey Franklin." Deeks shook his head. "Wow, so Callen totally has a thing for the girl behind the counter."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kensi asked indignantly.

"I mean, um, you and Callen are working an op together—ow." He flinched as Kensi punched his arm.

"Mr. Callen and Miss Blye have been running surveillance on Charlie Danforth for several weeks," Hetty explained. "Mr. Danforth is another frequent patron of the diner, and he happened to hear about a wealthy businessman through one of the waitresses." She motioned to Kensi. "But it wasn't until this morning that Mr. Callen was finally able to make contact."

"Nothing like bacon and eggs to help seal a deal," Sam said with a grin.

"_A demonstration tonight? Where?"_

"_The USS _Inferno_."_

"_A Navy ship? Are you serious?"_

"_It's docked at port right now, and there's a black tie celebration at the harbor tonight."_

"Charlie was talking on a cell phone this morning," Kensi said. "He hung up before we could get anything, but whoever it is, they have to know he's making a deal on that ship tonight."

Callen nodded. "Charlie's not gonna let Tom Schneider and three million dollars walk away."

"Then we need a presence on that ship tonight, Mr. Callen."

"_We're done now."_

"_Okay then."_

"_Okay."_

Eric paused the video playback just as Tom discreetly ran his eyes over Casey's curves.

Deeks blinked. "Are you checking out her—"

"Deeks!" Kensi snapped.

"I wasn't going to say—"

"No, you weren't," Kensi finished for him.

"All of you, down in wardrobe, please," Hetty interrupted, heading for the door. "You won't be attending a black tie event in those scruffy things you call jeans."

The team exchanged glances, as if they were considering the option.

"Not on my watch, people," Hetty called over her shoulder. "Now move!"

Callen motioned towards the door. "After you, Kenz."

Kensi eyed him suspiciously as he allowed her to exit first. She had barely taken a step when she saw his eyes drop and his head tilt, and she realized what he was doing. Kensi smiled secretly and put a little extra sway in her hips as she walked out the door.

* * *

"Well, I hate to admit it, but you boys look pretty sharp. Hetty must be working miracles again."

Callen, Sam, and Deeks grinned at Kensi's compliment and smoothed the front of their tuxedos.

"Yeah, look what she did to you," Deeks said wryly.

Kensi rolled her eyes. She was actually quite pleased with the outfit that Hetty had selected for her. It was a short, sleek black dress that hugged her curves and exposed plenty of leg, accessorized with some dangly earrings and shiny silver jelly bracelets. Her hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, and when she had stepped out of the dressing room at OSP, she hadn't missed the look in Callen's eyes.

The look in his eyes was all business now, though. As the four of them surveyed the party scene, they realized that Charlie was nowhere in sight.

"Spread out and keep an eye out," Callen instructed. "He's here somewhere. Sam, Deeks, you guys take the perimeter. I'll take Kensi."

Callen offered her his arm, and Kensi wrapped herself around him possessively. They made their way to the dance floor, and Kensi was surprised to find just how easily she slipped into his arms.

As they swayed to the music, she could feel the heat of his hand against her lower back, and when he leaned in close, his breath sent shivers down her spine. To the rest of the world, it looked like he was whispering romantic sweet nothings in her ear.

"Behind you, on the side of the pier."

Kensi was instantly on full alert.

"Charlie's heading for the ship. Sam, Deeks, we got him. You two hang back and see if he's got any more firepower. Break up the party if you have to."

"Copy that."

"You feel like getting out of here for a little while?" Callen murmured in a low voice.

Kensi giggled on cue and pressed her lips to his neck as he led her away from the dance floor and towards the edge of the pier.

"He's talking on that cell phone again," Kensi whispered, nuzzling Callen's ear.

"Can you read him?"

Kensi shook her head. "His back is turned."

"Eric, can you get me a trace on Charlie's cell phone?"

"Yeah, give me a minute."

"Tom!" Charlie's voice suddenly called across the pier. "Welcome to the party."

"Showtime," Callen muttered under his breath.

"I do hope that you and your beautiful date are enjoying the evening," Charlie said. "And that you had a chance to sample some of those lovely hors d'oeuvres—"

"You know what I'm here for," Callen interrupted.

"Of course." Charlie motioned towards the ship. "Then let me show you what's behind door number one."

As they made their way below deck, Charlie led Callen and Kensi down several floors and through an elaborate maze of hallways. When they reached the end of a long, empty corridor, Charlie opened the door to reveal a large black box.

"I present to you…the ultimate weapon," he said proudly.

"I'm paying you three million dollars for that?" Callen asked doubtfully.

"Appearances can be deceiving, my friend," Charlie explained. "This prototype is worth every penny. It's rigged to set off a series of explosions, one right after another, each one bigger than the last. It'll have this whole place burning in no time. All it takes is the push of a button."

As if to prove its simplicity, Charlie waved the remote control in front of Callen.

"So when's the demonstration?"

Charlie grinned. "Right now."

"Now? You're gonna detonate now?"

"Why not?" Charlie pulled a gun from his belt and aimed it at Callen. "You're right where you're supposed to be."

He jabbed his weapon hard into Callen's chest, forcing him backwards into the chamber.

"You, too, sweetheart. Get in there."

Kensi eyed Charlie warily, but she didn't break cover and followed Callen inside.

"Hey, man, what's going on?" Callen demanded angrily. "What about our deal?"

"Ah, yes, our deal. Well, you see…" Charlie drawled. "There is no deal. Because Agent Callen, Agent Blye…you _are_ the demonstration."

He grinned wickedly, a knowing smile on his lips, and then he stepped back, let the door slam closed, and pressed the trigger.

There was an angry whirring noise as the black box roared to life, its sensors flashing and its pipes churning out hot black smoke. It began to hiss, spit, and crackle, shooting out a few stray sparks of fire. And then the screen beeped as a red number began a deadly countdown.

"Ten seconds," Callen said. "We got any chance of disconnecting this thing?"

Kensi shook her head, pointing to the messy tangle of wires that ran to the detonator. "It's got multiple connections. If we cut any one of these, it could still blow with a backup."

"It's gonna blow no matter what," Callen realized. "Sam, Deeks, we've been made. Charlie detonated the weapon. Get everyone out of here _now_!"

He and Kensi jumped back as the machine suddenly threw out more sparks, all of them skittering dangerously across the floor.

"Callen, the door!"

"Gonna have to shoot our way out," he said calmly.

"You sure that won't set this thing off completely?"

"We're about to find out."

Callen drew his gun and fired squarely into the door. The cluster of bullets put a long splinter down the center, and he and Kensi smashed their way through, bursting out of the room just as another round of fire exploded from the machine and set the door ablaze.

Now free to spread through the hallways, the fire surged forwards, rapidly igniting everything in its path. There was another cascade of explosions, and just as Charlie had said, each one only served to fuel the inferno's massive size and strength.

Callen and Kensi raced through the corridors, mere seconds ahead of the flames, and they could hear the screams onshore as smoke started billowing out of the ship windows.

"Callen!"

He heard Kensi call his name, and she pointed to the stairway above where a lone figure was hurrying along a parallel floor towards the exit. Leaving Kensi to follow the straightaway pursuit up the stairs, Callen veered left sharply and sprinted down another hallway to cut him off.

"Going somewhere?"

Charlie skidded to a stop as he found himself staring down the barrel of Callen's gun. Quickly, he turned around and ran the other way, only to be knocked to the ground as Kensi launched herself at him out of the stairwell.

Charlie threw a nasty punch at Kensi's jaw, and her head violently snapped to the side. In retaliation, Kensi landed a blow to his stomach, and he fell backwards again, groaning in pain and grabbing for his gun.

Without hesitation, Callen put a round of bullets through his heart.

A moment later, Callen and Kensi hit the floor as a blast of fire blew through the wall.

"Go, go, go!"

They both scrambled to their feet and up another flight of stairs, the flames furiously lapping at their heels. They burst out on deck and slammed the heavy metal door behind them, realizing too late that the fire had cornered them on the far end of the ship.

"That's not gonna hold it for long!" Callen yelled. "You up for a swim?"

Kensi looked at him.

"Go!" he ordered.

Kensi glanced down at the crashing waves below and then back at Callen.

"Kensi, jump! Now!"

"I can't!"

Callen shot her a look. "Why not?"

"There's something I have to do!"

"What?"

Kensi rushed forward and grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him hard. "Jump with me," she whispered breathlessly.

And as the fire broke through the door and engulfed the deck in flames, Kensi dove off the side of the ship…and Callen leapt into the sea after her.


	3. Chapter 3

**-III-**

"Eric!" Sam barked. "You got anything?"

"Nothing," Eric replied in his ear. "We lost them."

"What do you mean 'we lost them'?"

"I mean, when Callen and Kensi jumped overboard, their earwigs must have gotten waterlogged, and we lost all contact with them."

Sam let out a sigh that sounded more like an angry growl. He scanned the horizon frantically, pacing up and down the pier, looking out over the burning ship.

"Eric, did you check all the cameras in the area?" Deeks asked.

"Yeah, nothing after they jumped overboard."

Deeks looked at Sam hopefully. "If Callen and Kensi thought their cover had been blown, they could just be avoiding the cameras."

"Either that or they never surfaced," Sam said grimly.

"Mr. Hanna, Mr. Deeks." Hetty's unmistakable voice came over the phone sharply. "If we have been compromised in this operation, protocol dictates that you are not to make contact with Mr. Callen or Miss Blye. Do you understand, gentlemen?"

"Hetty, we don't even know if—"

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah," Sam said quietly.

"Sam, we're running the data from Charlie's cell phone right now," Nell said. "We're checking the frequently called numbers to see if we can track down who he might be working with."

"What about the last number he dialed? Kensi said he was on the phone with someone before he detonated the device."

"Checking on that, too."

"You call me when you got something."

There was an angry click, and Sam's line went silent.

Nell looked at Hetty and Eric worriedly. "You think they made it off?" she asked.

"Until we find out otherwise," Hetty answered solemnly.

* * *

Meanwhile, as twilight faded in on the other side of the harbor, two very soggy, bedraggled figures washed up on the beach, side by side, lying motionless in the sand, their hands tied together by a band of jelly bracelets.

"Kensi?"

She was floating somewhere on the edge of consciousness when she heard a faint, raspy voice calling her name. Someone lifted her hand, untangling the bracelets from her wrist, and she felt the circulation slowly returning to her fingers.

"Kenz, you okay?"

She blinked several times before Callen finally came into focus above her.

"Yeah," she croaked.

She coughed hard and took a deep breath. She became vaguely aware that she lay flat on her back, and one of Callen's hands had slipped underneath her neck while the other rested gently on her forearm.

"Kensi, you're shaking."

"Just cold," she whispered.

Slowly, she tried to sit up, but her whole body was bruised and battered, and she couldn't stifle her gasp of pain. She collapsed weakly and was suddenly grateful that Callen's arms were there to catch her. There was a sharp throbbing in her jaw, and gingerly she wiggled her fingers and touched her bruised ribs.

"I'm fine," she said, wincing as she spoke.

"Yeah, I can see that."

Kensi felt her pulse quicken as Callen's eyes roamed over the rest of her body. She knew he was checking for other injuries, and she was sure that her jaw was starting to turn purple, but there was something else in his eyes as he drank in the sight of her wet clothes clinging to her figure.

"Charlie knew who we were all along," she said softly. "How?"

"Whoever's on the other end of that cell phone," Callen guessed.

Kensi closed her eyes, her lids suddenly feeling very heavy. "What happens now?"

"Beauregard protocol. We got burned, we can't be on the case. We disappear somewhere until Sam and Deeks sort this thing out."

Kensi nodded. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "You got somewhere dry in mind?"

"Yeah, I know a place."

* * *

"Yo, can I get some service here?"

Callen banged impatiently on the service bell at the front desk of a motel. He heard a chair scrape the floor and then the shuffling of some feet.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," a voice grumbled. A young man emerged from the back room, and his eyes widened when he saw Callen. "Ernie!"

"Jimmy."

"Uh, how you been, man?" Jimmy asked nervously.

"Gonna be a whole lot better when I get through with you."

Jimmy backed up a step and raised his hands innocently. "Look, Ernie, I'm sorry…the whole thing was just a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, you wanna tell that to my parole officer?"

Callen took a step closer, and he saw a flash of fear cross Jimmy's face.

"Ernie, I'm sorry, really, I am!"

"How you gonna make it up to me?"

Jimmy swallowed. "I—I could, um…"

"How about you get a free room for me and my girl tonight, and we'll call it even?" Callen slipped his arm around Kensi and tugged her closer as if to emphasize his point.

"Aw, Ernie, you know how the boss hates that."

"Aw, Jimmy, you know how my fist hates messing up your face."

Jimmy sighed. "Okay. But you take the room at the far end, and you keep quiet."

"Oh, we'll be silent," Callen promised, squeezing Kensi's waist suggestively.

Jimmy didn't look as if he believed him, but he handed over the room key.

"Thanks, man," Callen said. "You take care of yourself." He grinned. "Have a lovely evening."

* * *

Callen and Kensi made their way down the motel hallway, and it wasn't until Callen slid the keycard in the door that he finally noticed Kensi looking at him curiously.

"Old alias," he admitted. "Don't ask."

Kensi couldn't help but smile. "Hetty will just be happy she doesn't have to pay the bill."

The door creaked as Callen pushed it open.

"Nice place," he commented.

The motel room was small and dimly lit, but it was clean and well-furnished. There was a double bed in the center of the room and a side door that led to a bathroom with a shower and a stack of fluffy white towels on the counter.

There was also a large mirror over the bathroom sink, and as they stood in the doorway, Callen and Kensi got their first good look at their reflections. They were both wet, filthy, and still dripping dirty seawater on the floor.

"You wanna get a shower?" Callen finally asked.

Silence fell between them, as the meaning of that question lingered in the air. They already knew what the other was thinking. They had no change of clothes.

Finally, Callen handed Kensi one of the extra large towels from the bathroom counter.

"That'll have to do," she said quietly.

Callen nodded and quickly backed out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Kensi waited until she heard his footsteps move away from the door, and then she locked it securely. She turned on the shower and slowly began to peel off her wet clothes.

Grateful to be out of her soaked black dress, she rinsed her clothes in the shower, hung them over the sink to dry, and then stepped in the shower herself. She sighed tiredly as she let the hot water run over her, washing away the dirt, blood, and salty seawater.

_Burned_. Possibly the worst thing that could happen to an undercover agent, other than being dead. Somehow Charlie had discovered their identities, and he had baited them right into his trap. And someone else had learned everything over the phone.

Kensi took a deep breath, as she could still feel the seawater closing in around her, sucking her downwards as her arms and legs flailed against the current. Pieces of ship wreckage crashed into the ocean around her, and just as her strength had been about to give way, she had been pulled to the surface by two strong arms. She remembered gasping for air, filling her aching lungs with oxygen, and she remembered Callen grabbing her wrist and twisting the jelly bracelets into knots, tying their arms together as the waves carried them out to sea. And then she had blacked out completely and woken up onshore next to him.

As her thoughts strayed to her handsome savior in the other room, probably also stripping out of his wet clothes, Kensi's throat suddenly ran dry.

She touched her fingers to her lips, and she was startled to find that she could still taste him, a mixture of sea air, salt, gunpowder, and…_Callen_. She hadn't meant to kiss him, but faced with a downwards plunge into the ocean, she had impulsively given in to the temptation.

_Stop_, she scolded herself. She couldn't let herself think like that. Quickly, she finished her shower and turned off the water.

When Kensi emerged from the bathroom, carefully wrapped in a towel, she found Callen looking out the window, his wet jacket, shirt, and tie hung over a chair. She couldn't help but admire his strong, sculpted torso, still marred by five faded scars, but she was relieved to note that he hadn't removed his pants yet.

When he turned around, Kensi quickly looked away.

"You can, uh, have the bed tonight," she offered.

"Kensi—"

"Right. G Callen doesn't do beds."

Kensi clutched the towel tighter to her chest. She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt so self-conscious. The large, fluffy towel completely covered her, and Callen had seen her wearing practically nothing before. Maybe she had been more shaken by her near drowning experience than she was willing to admit. Or maybe there was just something different about sharing a private motel room together. Or maybe it was simply the way he looked at her tonight.

"How's your jaw?" he asked.

"I'll live."

It seemed to Kensi that Callen crossed the space between them entirely too fast. He reached out to touch her face, and she flinched at his touch. "He got you good."

"Yeah," she admitted quietly.

Callen was suddenly so close that it made Kensi dizzy, and she didn't think it was from the pain anymore. She could only feel the heat from his body and her own blood racing through hers. Hesitantly, his hands came up to brush damp tendrils of hair out of her face, and Kensi's breath caught as he pressed a soft kiss to her swollen jaw.

She didn't resist as he backed her up to the edge of the bed, his lips hungrily seeking hers. They sank onto the mattress together, and Kensi felt as if she were on fire as his fingers slipped under the top edge of her towel.

And then suddenly he pulled away, so quickly it was as if he had been burned.

His eyes were still stormy with passion, his breath ragged as he tore his gaze from her.

"I better get a shower."

As he rose from the bed, Kensi immediately felt the loss of his heat. Her body still tingled with the sensation of his touch, and for the second time that night, she, too, felt as if she had been burned.

* * *

"Eric, Nell, you guys get anything off Charlie's cell phone?"

Sam and Deeks strode purposefully into Ops, their eyes already scanning the screen.

"Still working on it, guys," Eric replied. "It was a secure line. It's taking a while to crack the encryption."

"Mr. Hanna, Mr. Deeks, was anything else found on the ship?" Hetty asked.

"Nothing," Sam replied.

"The one body was identified," Deeks added. "Charlie."

They could almost see Hetty sigh with relief.

"So Callen and Kensi made it off?" Nell asked.

"They made it off the ship," Sam confirmed. "Don't know if they made it out of the water."

"Got something," Eric announced. He quickly scrolled through a list of numbers on the screen. "Charlie made most of his calls to one number. I'm tracing it right now…"

The computer suddenly beeped, and Eric's eyes widened. "Uh, guys, we got a hit."

Quickly, Sam and Deeks crowded around him, their eyes staring at the screen in disbelief. They looked at each other worriedly, and Nell and Eric also exchanged glances. Hetty shook her head.

"We gotta bring her in," Sam finally said.

Nobody moved.

The computer suddenly let out a shrill ring.

"I've got a call coming in," Eric said in confusion. He quickly brought up the identification screen. "It's the same number that Charlie called…how can that be?"

"Can you trace it?" Sam asked.

Eric typed furiously on his keyboard. "If we pick up the line, I might be able to get a trace on it, but you're gonna have to stall for a minute."

"Do it."

Sam heard a click and then some clearing of static. "NCIS, this is Special Agent Hanna." He motioned to Eric to start the trace.

"Special Agent Hanna," came the female voice on the other end. "I would like to speak to Agent Blye."

"Agent Blye isn't available right now."

"Then where is she?" the caller demanded.

"She's unavailable," Sam repeated. "Whatever you have to say to her, you can say to me."

"I don't think so, Agent Hanna. You see, you are not my daughter."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this chapter took a little longer! I reread it and decided that it needed a complete rewrite. This is the last chapter, so thank you again for reading and for giving a Callen/Kensi story a chance. I hope there is lots of writing inspiration for everybody in season four!**

* * *

**-IV-**

The sun was just coming up over the horizon as two figures approached each other on a bridge above a main highway. Traffic was already roaring below, and they both leaned against the railing, looking out over the city.

"As far as fail-safe rally points go, I've seen worse."

"You say the same thing every time we pick out a new one."

"And you keep hoping we'll never get made."

"You ruined Hetty's tux."

"Nice to see you, too," Callen greeted his partner. "And you can tell Hetty that I washed it at the motel last night."

"Deeks and I have been working all night, wondering if you two are even alive, and you spend the night with Kensi in a motel room?"

"I didn't spend the night with Kensi in a motel room," Callen said innocently. "Ernie did."

"Yeah, did Ernie ever think about picking up the phone to call his partner?"

"You know Hetty's rules about Beauregard."

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"She know you're here?"

"What do you think?"

Sam let that question linger in the air, as the two partners watched the traffic go by for a moment.

"You find out who burned us?" Callen finally asked.

"Yeah, Eric got a hit on Charlie's cell phone. Julia Feldman."

"Isn't that—"

"She wants to talk to her daughter."

"How is Kensi's mom mixed up in all of this?"

"Don't know. Hoping that's what she wants to talk about."

Callen sighed. "Kensi's mom could have easily given up our identities."

"Scared, maybe?"

"Or forced."

"Hetty wants you two back on the case."

"What happened to protocol?"

"It went out that damn window when she found out you ruined her tux," Sam teased.

He and Callen suddenly cringed as drivers yelled and honked at a traffic jam on the road below.

"Maybe we should pick a new rally point," Callen mused.

Sam looked at him.

"I'm just saying."

* * *

"We've got at least three at the front door," Deeks reported.

"Three more around back," Kensi added. "And two near the garage. They're protecting all the entrances. She's gotta be inside."

"Sam and I'll take the front, you two take the back."

Callen noticed Kensi giving her mother's house a long look. "Kenz, you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it."

"NCIS! Federal agents!"

Gunshots rang out as the guards surrounding Julia Feldman's house opened fire on the NCIS team. They fired recklessly, spraying bullets across the lawn, and Callen and Sam dove behind the car as shots ricocheted off the Challenger.

On the back side of the house, Kensi and Deeks huddled behind a stone wall, keeping their heads down as the bullets screamed above them.

"Deeks, I gotta get inside," Kensi hissed. "I need you to do something."

"You mean stick my head up and draw this guy's fire while you pull off some insane stunt to—"

"Deeks!"

"I know, I know. I got it." He peeked out from behind the wall. "Hey, man, you suck, and you look fat in those jeans!"

"Go!" he yelled. "I'll cover you!"

As Deeks popped out from behind the wall, rapidly firing his trusty Beretta, Kensi made a run for the house. She didn't look back, but she ducked as she heard glass shattering close behind her. She had barely managed to squeeze through the door when she heard a scream signaling that Deeks' shot had finally hit its mark.

Once inside, the silence was almost eerie in contrast to the commotion outside. The house was neat and tidy with no sign of movement, but Kensi kept her weapon raised and ready for anything.

She cleared the kitchen and the living room and then made her way upstairs. She moved stealthily down the hallway, and when she reached the bedroom, Kensi took a deep breath before opening the door.

Clear. The bedroom was empty, and she cautiously lowered her gun. She was just about to move on to the next room when a subtle movement on the balcony caught her eye.

Kensi pushed back the curtains and stepped out on the balcony just in time to see a familiar woman swinging from a rope ladder, hurrying to get to the ground.

"Mom!"

But Julia didn't seem to hear.

"Guys, I got my mom. Balcony off the upstairs bedroom."

Without a second thought, Kensi jumped over the balcony railing and followed her mother's descent.

"Mom!"

But Julia still wasn't listening. She took off at a run, leaving Kensi hanging high in the air.

Kensi kicked her feet from the rungs of the ladder and braced herself for the fall, rolling into a ball as she hit the ground. She ignored the jolting pain that shot through her entire body, and she scrambled to her feet, sprinting across the yard and tackling her mother just before she reached the edge of the property.

"Mom, are you okay? What's going on? Why didn't you stop?"

"I—I'm fine," Julia said shakily. She stood up and brushed herself off.

Kensi quickly took her mother's hand. "Come on, I'll get you out of here."

"Kensi, no!" Julia snatched her hand away violently.

Kensi looked confused. "There are armed men surrounding your house," she said. "We need to get you out of here."

She tried to grab her mother's hand, but again Julia knocked it away.

"Kensi," she said warningly.

There was a funny feeling growing in Kensi's stomach, and she was trying unsuccessfully to ignore it. As she stared her mother down, both women frozen in place, two pairs of angry dark eyes challenging each other, realization dawned on her.

Kensi lunged forwards, and Julia easily dodged her daughter's strike. She threw a punch in retaliation, and Kensi grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, wrapping another arm around her mother's throat.

"You didn't call NCIS looking for help," Kensi accused. "You called to find out what happened to me."

Julia gave her a dirty look. "I had to know what happened to you after that ship exploded."

Struggling to escape her daughter's grasp, Julia backed up into the side of the house, smashing Kensi against it. Kensi's grip loosened momentarily, and Julia elbowed her hard in the stomach as she wriggled out of the chokehold.

"You're slow," Julia criticized. "You're hurt."

Kensi stumbled backwards, grimacing in pain. "Yeah, well, I did jump off an exploding ship last night."

Julia laughed. "That was quite the escape you and Agent Callen pulled off. I was impressed. But then again, you two do put on such a good show together. Flirting with each other over breakfast. Sickening, really. He's in love with you, you know."

Kensi didn't reply, as she was still trying to catch her breath.

"You think even I can't see it? Are you sleeping with him?"

Kensi still didn't say a word, but her jaw tightened visibly.

"What?" Julia shrugged innocently. "Mothers are supposed to ask their daughters about this kind of stuff. Oh, wait…that's right, my daughter ran away and said she never wanted to speak to me again."

"Is that what this is about?" When Kensi finally spoke, her voice was calm but laced with bitterness. "You're punishing me for something I did a long time ago?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Julia took a step closer and narrowed her eyes. "Let's just say that your father wasn't the only one involved in black ops."

The mention of her father touched a nerve inside of Kensi. She staggered forward, but Julia was faster. She swept her leg backwards under her daughter's feet, sending Kensi sprawling to the ground again.

Kensi landed heavily on her side, and Julia ripped the gun from her waist. She flipped her daughter over and pinned her down with a harsh grip on her windpipe.

"Kensi," Julia began. "I've been dealing weapons for a very long time. But when I found out that my daughter is a federal agent…" She frowned. "Well, that just wasn't part of the plan."

"You planned to run away with Charlie," Kensi whispered hoarsely. "You did fall in love with another man. And when it didn't work out, you set him up to get rid of me."

"Something like that," Julia confirmed. "Or rather, I tried to. He failed. Guess I'll have to do it myself now."

With a dramatic sigh, Julia stepped back, cocked the gun, and aimed it directly at her daughter.

"Drop the weapon."

Julia froze as a low voice hissed against her ear and a cold metal barrel pressed against the back of her neck.

"Agent Callen," she greeted. "How nice to see you again."

She looked to her left. "Agent Hanna."

And her right. "Detective Deeks."

"Not quite the mother-daughter moment we were expecting," Deeks commented.

"Put it down," Callen repeated.

"Unless you wanna do this the hard way," Sam added.

"Mom, put it down, or they'll shoot," Kensi said calmly. "There's no way you can take out all of them."

Time seemed to come to a standstill as Julia looked down at her daughter, her finger poised over the trigger, uncertainty in her eyes.

And in that moment of hesitation, Kensi saw her chance. She sprang from the ground, knocking the gun from her mother's hand as the trigger went off. The bullet launched high into the air, and the force of the recoil sent them both tumbling to the ground.

Kensi cried out with the force of impact, her bruised body taking even more punishment, her mother clawing angrily at her face. Kensi grabbed Julia's wrists and flipped her over, pinning her to the ground and wrenching her hands behind her back.

It was over in an instant.

"Kenz, I got her."

Kensi released her grip when she heard Callen's voice, and she fell to her knees in a daze. It was almost as if she saw the scene in slow motion as he snapped the handcuffs around Julia's wrists and hauled her to her feet.

"Come on, let's go."

Callen shoved her forwards, handing her over to Sam and Deeks.

"Wait."

All eyes turned to Kensi, and even Kensi seemed surprised at the sound of her own voice. Slowly, she stood up and came around to face her mother.

"Why?" she asked quietly. "Why would you burn your own daughter?"

Julia met Kensi's eyes coldly. "Because," she whispered, "I never had a daughter."

* * *

Callen found Kensi on the beach that evening, looking out over the water, watching the waves shimmer in the sunset. He didn't say anything, just sat down in the sand next to her.

There was a long silence before Kensi finally sighed and leaned back against his shoulder. "It's been a long day."

"It's over now."

"I know." She scooped up a handful of sand and watched blankly as it fell through her fingers again.

"Kensi, it's not your fault."

"I know."

"Do you?" He tipped her face towards his and held her gaze with intense blue eyes.

"No," she admitted. "Callen, my mother set fire to a Navy ship because I wasn't the daughter she wanted me to be."

"Kensi, she didn't make that choice because of you."

"Maybe not." Her voice was soft, her multicolored eyes heavy with sadness. "But what if she did?"

Callen couldn't find the words to answer. He gently ran his thumb over her cheek, and when he leaned in this time, his lips caught hers in a deep kiss. His mouth was warm and tender, sending heat radiating through her body, almost as if he were infusing her with his strength.

It wasn't until the sun slowly slipped under the horizon that Kensi finally pulled away.

"Callen." His name escaped her lips in a whisper. "I just…need to be alone tonight."

"Kensi—"

She cut him off with another kiss. "No," she said softly but firmly. "Good night, Callen."

She touched her hand to his cheek and rose from the sand, leaving him on the beach alone.

* * *

Kensi drove home in silence, replaying the day's events in her head and reliving the thoughts that crossed her mind as she stared down the barrel of her mother's gun.

Her father had been a black ops Marine.

Her mother had been an illegal weapons dealer.

_Kensi, she didn't make that choice because of you__._

But she was an undercover agent. It was in her blood. It always had been.

_Because I never had a daughter._

Her mother's words stung fiercely. They had done their intended damage, and Kensi could feel a wave of hurt and anger gnawing at her insides.

Completely lost in her thoughts, she took the longest, most indirect route to get home. It was dark now, and she saw a flash of silver in her rearview mirror as the moon rose in the sky behind her.

When she finally pulled up to her apartment, she let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. She remained in the car for a moment, resting her head in her hands.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and made her way inside, unlocking the door and throwing her keys carelessly on the table. Suddenly feeling weak, she sank down on the couch in the darkness, hoping that sleep would come but knowing it wouldn't.

Through the curtains, she could still see the reflection of the rising moon, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught the same glimpse of silver. Curious, she sat up again and peeked out the window, realizing that there was a vehicle hidden in the night shadows.

_He was tailing me all along_.

_Callen_. The thought of him sent a warm flush spreading through her body. She had wanted to be alone tonight, but there was still a part of her that craved his kiss, his touch, the look in his eyes, and the quiet way he filled the emptiness inside of her.

Maybe she wouldn't mind having the Aston Martin parked outside her window tonight.

Kensi settled back on the couch and sighed.

But maybe tonight that wouldn't be enough.

Slowly, her eyes were drawn to the door.

Maybe tonight…she could let him in.


End file.
